Network for Enhanced Electoral and Democratic Support (NEEDS)

Enhancing international and domestic election observation worldwide
Context and Issue: 

European Union Election Observation Missions (EU EOMs) play an increasing and significant role in foreign policy and assistance through the provision of methodical and practical assessments of elections in third countries. They are increasingly becoming a tool for evaluating the democratic standards and deficits of a country, providing the basis for future technical assistance to partner countries in reforming their electoral cycle in order to conform to accepted international and regional standards for credible democratic elections. The EU’s research and aid mechanisms for elections are channelled partly through the deployment of its own special assessment missions in the form of EOMs and partly through technical assistance to domestic observer organisations to increase their capacity and professionalism in performing their important civil sector role. Links forged between EU EOMs and domestic observation and civil society actors will strengthen the ability of local organisations in monitoring and lobbying for adequate reform where needed. The Network for Enhanced Electoral and Democratic Support Project (NEEDS) represents a significant step forward in finalising standard methodologies to enhance EU EOM effectiveness, the conceptualisation of a stronger common European approach to the recruitment and training of observers and by know-how transfer to civil society and domestic observer organisations.

Project's activities: 

The NEEDS project will work on achieving a stronger common European approach to the recruitment and training of observers and act as a facilitator for know-how transfer to civil society and domestic observer organisations. In accordance with the most recent developments in the EC’s strategy for democracy support, the project ses the next big challenge as the creation of proper synergies between EU EOMs and electoral assistance, to facilitate the inclusion of EU EOM and domestic observer recommendations in the political dialogue that the EU institutions hold with the partner countries and all their stakeholders, and further the development and impact of electoral observation in the promotion of democracy worldwide. NEEDS develops methodological tools and standard operating procedures of EU EOMs; it provides training and support for EU EOM Long-Term Observers and Core Team experts in the fields of elections, law, coordination, management, media analysis, press work, political party analysis and human rights; and enables training and support activities for domestic observer organisations around the world.

Participants and Beneficiaries: 

At the political level, the Project will facilitate the strengthening of the coordination between EU EOMs, the related Brussels-based EC services, the European Parliament (EP), the European Council and the EU institutions in the beneficiary countries, to ensure adequate attention to EU EOM findings and their follow-up. This consortium will devote a considerable amount of resources in the implementation of the project to ensuring adequate dissemination of information on the scope and objectives of EU EOMs, both to EU institutions and to local country beneficiaries, paying particular attention to the capacity building and methodological needs of local domestic observer and civil society organisations. As emerged in recent researches conducted for the EC Methodological Guide on Electoral Assistance, the beneficiaries of electoral assistance are in the great majority of the cases countries where EU EOMs had been previously deployed or are deployed in occasion of the elections for which technical assistance is provided.

Outcomes: 

NEEDS developed specific tools to address the needs of the regional network and of the domestic observation organisations included in the project, has trained 150 EU EOM Long-Term Observers, 150 EU EOM Core Team experts and at least 24 domestic observer organisations and improved the involvement of Civil society in post-electoral and institutional reform process in beneficiary countries.

"NEEDS supports and trains election observers in order to enhance electoral processes worldwide, increasing transparency and accountability in election processes and contributing to peace and democracy building in EU partner countries."
Gillian McCormack, Training Coordinator, NEEDS

PHOTOS

  • Domestic observer training, Johannesburg, May 2009
  • Long-Term Observers receiving field equipment training, May 2009
  • European Union-African Union exchange seminar, media training, Brussels, 2010
  • African Union delegates receiving media training at the Berlaymont TV Studios
  • Setting up satellite internet connection outdoors
  • NEEDS training room
  • Media Experts training, energiser exercise, July 2009
  • Domestic observer training, team building exercise, Johannesburg, May 2009